Doolittle: Aerospace Visionary (review)

Jimmy Doolittle is one of the giants of aviation, famous for a number of reasons. He was very successful in several careers: a top notch stunt, test, and racing pilot; an oil executive who pushed the higher octane gasoline that would give the Allies an edge in World War II; one of the first American heroes of that war as the leader of the initial air attack on Tokyo; a notable aviation engineer; and a wartime commander of the Eighth Air Force, the Army Air Force's largest numbered air force. Doolittle was also a colorful character who rose to three-star rank, a considerable feat for a non–West Pointer. Little wonder, then, that more books have been written about him than other aviation figures, with the possible exception of the Wright brothers.

Dik Daso is well qualified to add yet another volume to this list by virtue of his academic and flying background, current position as curator at the Air and Space Museum, and previous biographies of two other major American aviation figures, Henry "Hap" Arnold and Theodore von Kármán. His training, experience, and talents are evident in this effort.

Doolittle is a brief survey, 114 pages of text in a small format (less than 5 by 8 inches) in the Potomac series on military figures, the first on an airman. Daso is a skillful writer who covers his subject well. This effort is supported by documentation that indicates use of many secondary works and interviews. Daso deserves high grades for condensing such a long, broad, and multi-faceted life into this small and readable format, all within the context of the numerous events which took place during the rapid growth of aviation in the decades following World War I and the air war in World War II.

This brief treatment will leave some readers lusting for more detail on a variety of subjects. From the outset Daso candidly admits that a new, critical study of Doolittle is needed, and that his concise overview is only an introduction. But for many, less may be better. Nevertheless, Daso highlights two elements that elude most other writers. First, Doolittle was a lucky individual who survived a number of aircraft accidents (seven by my count). He was an excellent pilot, but he pushed the limits, sometimes unwisely, getting into situations that killed others. Second, Doolittle had a firm grasp on his place in history. The author notes that when asked to name his greatest contribution to aviation, Doolittle answered that it was his work with blind (bad weather) flying experiments. (Doolittle explained to this writer that, unlike his other accomplishments which he believed could have been performed by others, only he had the technical/scientific background and pilot skills to accomplish the blind flying feats.)

Dik Daso has done an excellent job in presenting an easy to read, brief, scholarly, balanced, and surprisingly complete overview of this notable individual. He raises more questions than he answers, but that is the nature of the survey genre. This effort should encourage him, or another biographer, to write the detailed, scholarly study that would flesh out the life and career of Jimmy Doolittle. For despite all that has been written on this man and his accomplishments, such a work would not only be welcomed, it is needed.